Is it enough to drive safely?

UPDATE: A well-informed friend has told me that petrol prices are going to increase by up to AED9!

The increase in the cost of petrol in UAE and recent rumors that petrol prices are likely to hit close to AED8 made me review my overall driving habit. Up to now, driving meant using a car to go from one place to the other in the shortest possible time. While on the road, my goal (apart from reaching my destination) was to drive safely and not get involved in an accident. My goals are shared with almost all drivers in the UAE.

What we fail to ask ourselves is: is our only goal to reach our destination without getting involved in an accident? What price are we paying for it? Do we even know how to drive so that we are not only reaching our destinations and driving safely but getting the most mileage out of our fuel?

I decided to put my money where my mouth is and experimented safe and fuel-efficient driving habits in the month of October and November. Results: I am getting 10% more mileage. Here are some tips that I would like to share:

1. Avoid aggressive driving. "Jack-rabbit" starts and hard braking increases fuel consumption.
2. Drive on a steady speed as far as possible. Speed limits are there for a reason. If everyone drives within the speed limit, this is already taken care of because everyone would drive at a steady speed.
3. Avoid idling the car. It is better to turn it off if you are waiting for someone.
4. Using high-quality and expensive fuel makes no difference to the internals of your car. Don't fall for the marketing gimmicks.
5. Plan your trip. Avoid commuting when you anticipate lots of traffic.
6. You get the most mileage out of your fuel if you drive at a steady speed of 90km/hour.
7. Select the right gear. When accelerating, change the gear as early as possible.

All the above tips with the exception of the last one apply to both manual and automatic transmission cars. For automatic cars there is no gear that you can change. However, I noticed that slightly easing up on the accelerator as the car gathers speed changes the gear.

So here were some of the things that I learnt. I can confidently say that over the two month of experimenting I have actually enjoyed driving. I drive on the far right lane and never exceed 90km/hour. Even on Sh. Zayed Road. To tell you honestly, it is fun to watch the cars zoom past you! Try it :o)